India, the world's largest edible oil buyer, should closely examine cultivating genetically modified oilseeds to increase production and bridge a widening supply-demand gap, a top industry official said.
The country imports about five million tonnes of edible oils annually, nearly half its needs, and analysts say the volume could increase with growth in consumption and population.
It mainly buys palm oil from Malaysia and Indonesia and soft oils from Argentina, Brazil and the United States.
"We need to initiate a national debate on the use of GMO seeds to increase productivity," said Ajay Tandon, the newly elected chairman of the Central Organisation for Oil Industry and Trade, the country's largest edible oil trade grouping.
"If we can consume GMO soybean oil from Argentina and the US, why can't we seek an answer for our needs here?" Tandon told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of a trade meeting on Saturday.